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The PBR was usually manned by a four-man crew. Typically, a First Class Petty
Officer served as boat captain, with a gunner's mate, an engineman and a seaman on board. Each crewman was cross-trained in each other's jobs in the event one became unable to carry out his duties. Generally, PBRs operated
858:
The 11 PBRs delivered in March 1966 and the approximately 300 delivered over the next few years to the U.S. and South
Vietnamese military...In 1967 the Mark II version of the PBR appeared, with an aluminum gunwale to protect its sides when junks and sampans came alongside. A transom lengthened the
734:
On March 6,1967, United States Navy Seaman David George
Ouellet was the forward machine gunner on PBR 124. After observing a grenade hurtled in the his boats direction, Seaman Ouellet left the protection of his position and ran to the rear of his boat warning his shipmates to take cover. He then
363:
The 11 PBRs delivered in March 1966 and the approximately 300 delivered over the next few years to the U.S. and South
Vietnamese military were based on a pleasure boat design constructed by Uniflite, a boatyard in Bellingham, Washington, on the northern end of Puget Sound near the Canadian border.
735:
pushed the boat's captain down to safety and placed himself between the grenade and his shipmates. His actions saved the other men, but tragically Seaman David
Ouellet was mortally wounded when the grenade detonated. For his actions that day Seaman David Ouellet was awarded the Medal of Honor.
503:
Since the Navy was busy patrolling the rivers, the U.S. Army had to secure the waters around its military ports. So, it converted the 458th
Transportation Company (LARC) into a PBR company in early 1968 under the 18th Military Police Brigade. With the company headquarters at Cat Lai, the company
402:
720:. According to the citation, "the patrol accounted for the destruction or loss of 65 enemy boats and inflicted numerous casualties on the enemy personnel." Williams is considered the most heavily decorated enlisted sailor in U.S. Navy history. The U.S. Navy posthumously named a
359:
The PBR was designed by Willis Slane and Jack
Hargrave of Hatteras Yachts, located in High Point, NC at the time, and its hull was based on an existing Hatteras Yacht hull. Just seven days after a meeting with US Navy officials, Slane and Hargrave had a prototype ready.
348:
The PBR was manufactured in two versions, the first with 31 feet (9.4 m) length and 10-foot, 7-inch beam. The Mark II version was 32 feet (9.8 m) long, and had a 1-foot (0.30 m) wider beam than the Mark I. It also had improved drives to reduce fouling and
329:
344:
which enabled it to operate in shallow, weed-choked rivers. It drew only 2 feet (0.61 m) of water fully loaded. The drives could be pivoted to reverse direction, turn the boat in its own length, or come to a stop from full speed in a few boat lengths.
367:
In
October 1965, the Navy awarded a contract to the company for construction of 140 PBRs. The first craft off the assembly line, called the Mark I, was 31 feet long with a hull constructed entirely of fiberglass, a technology developed in the early 1950s.
507:
In the late 1990s, what remained of the U.S. Navy's PBR force was solely in the Naval
Reserve (Swift Boats had been retired from the active duty U.S. Navy immediately following the Vietnam War during the early 1970s), and was moved further inland towards
484:
action that year. During the
Vietnam War, Mare Island was home to the U.S. Navy's Repair Facilities, Mothballing Operations, Submarine Operations, and Riverine Training Operations for both Patrol Craft Fast (PCF—more commonly known as
306:, in the area assigned to Task Force Clearwater, in an attempt to disrupt weapons shipments. In this role, they frequently became involved in firefights with enemy soldiers on boats and on the shore, were used to insert and extract
738:
Patrick Osborne Ford was a United States Navy sailor serving on a PBR patrol boat who was killed in South Vietnam after he saved the lives of two of his shipmates. The U.S. Navy posthumously awarded him the
1184:—The oldest continuously operating Vietnam Veterans Organization in the United States, organized in 1968 by the Veterans of the Vietnam River Patrol Force, primary war boat, the PBR, River Patrol Boat.
516:
and into the Pacific Ocean, if need be. The waters of the State Wildlife Area, next to the former U.S. Navy (Riverine) training base at Mare Island, are still available for U.S. Navy PBR usage.
785:, who claimed that as there were no surviving PBRs the replica had to be built completely from scratch in New Zealand. The total cost of building Clarkson's PBR was £100,000.
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800:
318:
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797:: An all-aluminum, 50-foot-long (15 m), riverine boat commonly referred to as the Swift Boat by the U.S. Navy's Brown Water Navy during the Vietnam War.
481:
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assigned pairs of PBRs to each of the Army ports. The crews consisted of two army mariners, coxswain and engineman, and two military police as gunners.
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such as Dutchman Slough, China Slough, Napa Slough, Devil's Slough, Suisun marshland and the Napa River all run through the former training area.
1116:"The Grand Tour Presents: Seamen", Expectation Entertainment, Television Interactive Network Agency, W. Chump & sons, 2019, 00:45:42.00
512:, California, the state capital, which is also intertwined with rivers. From Sacramento, PBRs could still transit directly to and through
708:
sailor commanding PBR 105. During a patrol operation on 31 October 1966, an engagement between the two PBRs (105 and one other) and two
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712:(VC) sampans escalated into a three-hour running battle involving more than 50 enemy vessels, numerous VC ground troops, and
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243:
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An unarmed PBR Mk. II replica called "Boat Machine" or "Du Ma" was used in the "Seamen" special of the television show
472:
From 1966 to 1972, PBRs were operated by the Navy as the principal component of Task Force 116. PBRs operated with the
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shields fitted to guns, bridge. Also crew-applied ballistic blankets to protect the coxswain in the control cockpit.
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They were designed to rely on rapid acceleration, maneuverability, and speed to get out of dangerous situations.
31:
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from March 1966 until 1975. They were deployed in a force that grew to 250 boats, the most common craft in the
1157:
U.S. Small Combatants, Including PT-Boats, Subchasers, and the Brown-Water Navy: An Illustrated Design History
450:; others had a bow-mounted Mk16 Mod 4 Colt 20 mm automatic cannon, derived from the AN/M3 version of the
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The boats had a comparatively heavy firepower for their size. Typical armament configuration included twin
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shielding for the machine gun pit, and some quarter-inch thick steel armor plate for the coxswain's flat.
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handguns and hand grenades. Some had a "piggyback" arrangement, a .50 cal machine gun on top of an
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14YJ water-jet drives. The boats reached top speeds of 28.5 knots (52.8 km/h; 32.8 mph).
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takes place on a fictional United States Navy PBR that used the radio call-sign
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7.62 mm light machine guns mounted on the port and starboard sides, and a
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910:"The iconic PBR was based on a recreational boat and powered by Jacuzzi jets"
492:
The training areas for the PBRs and Swift Boats still exist today within the
377:
in pairs under the command of a patrol officer who rode on one of the boats.
968:"The United States Coast Guard's Piggyback 81mm Mortar/.50 cal. machine gun"
859:
boat by about 6 inches. Most of the 418 Mark II PBRs constructed by Uniflite
709:
439:
350:
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1064:"Arsenal: The river patrol boat was the backbone of the Brown Water Navy"
928:"Arsenal: The river patrol boat was the backbone of the Brown Water Navy"
870:
848:"Arsenal: The river patrol boat was the backbone of the Brown Water Navy"
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341:
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822:"Defending the Mekong Delta: Tet and the Legacy of the Brown-Water Navy"
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713:
554: in this section. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed.
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290:, and were used to stop and search river traffic in areas such as the
30:"River Patrol Boats" redirects here. For the UK Royal Navy ships, see
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forward in a rotating, shielded tub, a single rear M2HB, one or two
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489:), PBRs, and the River Assault Boats of the Mobile Riverine Force.
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400:
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314:'s 458th Transportation Company, known as the 458th Sea Tigers.
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The boats were powered by dual 180 horsepower (130 kilowatts)
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support. For his role in this battle, Williams received the
991:"Notes on Mk 2 Mod 0 and Mod 1 .50 Caliber MG/81mm Mortar"
1192:
1181:
926:
Magazine, Joe Follansbee, Vietnam (20 December 2019).
885:"Behind the Scenes With a Special Ops Gunboat Crew"
1127:"The Boats Behind The Grand Tour Presents: Seamen"
457:The boats are not well protected, aside from some
480:, California, prior to the base's closure due to
801:List of patrol vessels of the United States Navy
762:A major part of the action in the 1979 movie
8:
951:: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (
319:Special Operations Craft – Riverine (SOC-R)
197:28.5 knots (52.8 km/h; 32.8 mph).
1198:HNSA Ship Page: PBRs as museums to visit.
570:Learn how and when to remove this message
1246:Patrol vessels of the United States Navy
1182:Gamewardens of Vietnam Association, Inc.
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438:. There was also a full complement of
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454:and also found on the LCMs and PBRs.
7:
966:Wells II, William R. (August 1997).
552:adding citations to reliable sources
336:The PBR was a versatile boat with a
846:Follansbee, Joe (2 January 2019).
820:Sherwood, John (31 January 2018).
594:- Formerly used by Philippine Navy
288:River Patrol Force, Task Force 116
27:U.S. Navy, Vietnam War (1966–1975)
25:
1010:. Osprey Publishing. p. 11.
155:11.5 ft (3.5 m) (MK II)
1212:at U.S. Veterans Memorial Museum
1091:Brandt, Bill (11 January 2020).
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310:teams, and were employed by the
152:10.5 ft (3.2 m) (MK I)
42:
1193:PBR Forces Veterans Association
539:needs additional citations for
140:32 ft (9.8 m) (Mk II)
1032:"458th Transportation Company"
1007:Vietnam Riverine Craft 1962–75
883:Sofge, Erik (1 October 2009).
275:designation for a small rigid-
173:2 × 180 hp (130 kW)
137:31 ft (9.4 m) (Mk I)
76:
1:
1078:"Patrol Boat, Riverine (PBR)"
873:. Accessed on 13 August 2009.
177:6V53N engines each driving a
317:The PBR was replaced by the
1004:Rottman, Gordon L. (2012).
714:U.S. Navy attack helicopter
223:(forward in a rotating tub)
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608:– Formerly used by US Navy
221:M2HB Browning machine guns
66:PBR (Patrol Boat Riverine)
29:
107:
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32:River-class patrol vessel
856:– via HistoryNet.
722:guided missile destroyer
624:Republic of Vietnam Navy
185:with thrust buckets for
702:James "Willie" Williams
165:2 ft (0.61 m)
108:General characteristics
1208:15 August 2016 at the
436:Mk 18 grenade launcher
416:
333:
244:Mk 18 grenade launcher
226:1 × single M2HB (rear)
48:Preserved PBR 829 in
1161:Naval Institute Press
754:(FFG-54), after him.
496:state wildlife area.
404:
331:
296:Rung Sat Special Zone
265:Patrol Boat, Riverine
912:. 21 September 2020.
548:improve this article
452:Hispano-Suiza HS.404
405:PBR Mark II forward
1251:Patrol boat classes
1093:"James E. Williams"
1066:. 20 December 2019.
641:Khmer National Navy
389:6V53N engines with
1159:. Annapolis, Md.:
1155:Friedman, Norman.
1133:. 12 December 2019
970:. Vietnam Magazine
758:In popular culture
743:and later named a
706:United States Navy
474:U.S. Naval Reserve
468:Operational career
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312:United States Army
273:United States Navy
236:(s) (side-mounted)
18:Patrol boat, rigid
1236:Vietnam War ships
1131:Grand Tour Nation
889:Popular Mechanics
795:Fast Patrol Craft
728:James E. Williams
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514:San Francisco Bay
494:Napa Sonoma Marsh
476:up until 1995 at
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127:8.9 ton for Mk II
50:Kenner, Louisiana
16:(Redirected from
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546:Please help
541:verification
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442:, shotguns,
428:machine guns
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414:machine guns
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300:Saigon River
292:Mekong Delta
282:used in the
268:
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124:Displacement
75:
36:
1137:22 December
831:22 February
592:Philippines
487:Swift Boats
478:Mare Island
448:81mm mortar
424:.50 caliber
407:.50 caliber
332:PBR Mark II
284:Vietnam War
280:patrol boat
217:.50 caliber
118:patrol boat
1225:Categories
974:16 January
937:21 January
932:Navy Times
894:11 January
741:Navy Cross
560:April 2023
510:Sacramento
440:M16 rifles
338:fiberglass
219:(12.7 mm)
205:4 enlisted
202:Complement
170:Propulsion
710:Viet Cong
520:Operators
340:hull and
308:Navy SEAL
271:, is the
229:1 or 2 ×
215:1 × twin
116:Riverine
100:Preserved
92:Completed
87:$ 400,000
77:Operators
71:Operators
1206:Archived
1163:, 1987.
947:cite web
789:See also
670:Thailand
397:Armament
354:gunwales
351:aluminum
210:Armament
1216:PBR6927
1102:19 June
1048:21 July
745:frigate
498:Sloughs
444:.45 ACP
304:I Corps
302:and in
231:7.62 mm
1167:
1014:
704:was a
697:Medals
687:Panama
684:
667:
634:
617:
603:
589:
324:Design
298:, the
294:, the
277:hulled
132:Length
1042:(PDF)
1035:(PDF)
807:Notes
691:SENAN
409:twin
381:Power
267:, or
252:Armor
241:40 mm
194:Speed
181:14YJ
162:Draft
1165:ISBN
1139:2019
1104:2024
1050:2019
1012:ISBN
976:2012
953:link
939:2021
896:2019
833:2019
751:Ford
749:USS
726:USS
482:BRAC
421:M2HB
372:Crew
239:1 ×
147:Beam
113:Type
84:Cost
74:See
63:Name
1203:PBR
781:by
550:by
432:M60
269:PBR
95:718
1227::
1129:.
1095:.
949:}}
945:{{
930:.
918:^
887:.
850:.
824:.
772:.
747:,
724:,
689:–
672:–
655:–
639:–
622:–
411:M2
1171:.
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1106:.
1080:.
1052:.
1020:.
993:.
978:.
955:)
941:.
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573:)
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